MLB Odds: Dodgers-Diamondbacks pick, prediction, and odds

The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Dodgers-Diamondbacks prediction and pick.

Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers are among the best teams in baseball once again. Los Angeles has had a great season, earning a 29-14 record. They’ve won nine of their last eleven contests, including a streak of seven straight wins. Things haven’t been quite as good for the Diamondbacks. Arizona does have a winning record at 23-22, but they’re in fourth place in the NL West. They’re 5-7 over their last 12 games, and now they start a four-game series against one of the best teams in baseball. This should be an entertaining start to the series so let’s get straight into the pick.

Here are the Dodgers-Diamondbacks MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Dodgers-Diamondbacks Odds

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-114)

Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-105)

Over: 9.5 (-110)

Under: 9.5 (-110)

Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread

Los Angeles will face Diamondbacks starter Humberto Castellanos in this game. Castellanos hasn’t been terrible, but he’s been far from good, as shown by his 4.29 ERA. The Dodgers are also a pretty poor matchup for him, making things even worse for the Diamondbacks. Los Angeles hits right-handed pitching better than they do left-handed pitching, as they earn a higher batting average, slugging percentage, OBP, and OPS against righties despite having far more at-bats against right-handed pitching. In the last series these teams played, the Dodgers scored five or more runs in four straight games.  Los Angeles should play fairly well on the offensive side of things in this one.

While the Dodgers won’t deploy one of their better pitchers in this game, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The Diamondbacks have been one of the worst offensive teams in the MLB throughout this season, ranking in or close to the bottom ten in nearly every single batting stat. It helps that the last time these teams met, the Dodgers held Arizona to four or less runs in three of four contests. Los Angeles also managed to pull off a clean sweep in that series.

Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread

Arizona should be able to keep their bats going in this game. The Dodgers will be pitching a bullpen game, but Mitch White will be the official starter. It would be a surprise to see White go more than three innings, and it would be even more surprising to see him pitch well. The righty has a 6.17 ERA on the year, one of the worst numbers in the entire MLB. The Diamondbacks also come into this game as one of the hotter offensive teams in the league, as they’ve scored seven or more runs in four of their last five games. The Dodgers should give up plenty of runs in this game.

Home field advantage will certainly benefit Arizona here. The Diamondbacks have earned a 12-11 record in Chase Field this season, compared to a slightly worse mark everywhere else. Los Angeles has gone 15-5 at home on the year, but their road record is a mediocre 14-9. The Dodgers also earn lower offensive stats across the board when they play away from home, as they see a drop in batting average, OBP, OPS, and slugging percentage. Overall, the venue should help the Diamondbacks keep things close.

Final Dodgers-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick

This is a pretty easy pick. It’s surprising to see the line set the way it is. The Diamondbacks should cover with ease, as the Dodgers pitching doesn’t look reliable in any way here.

Final Dodgers-Diamondbacks Prediction and Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-105)